Thursday, August 28, 2014

No need to wait any longer. Poptropica Members can cut the line and enjoy Early Access to PoptropiCon: Line Forms Here starting now! This wacky, costume-based adventure will test your costumizing skills like never before. Visit Poptropica to play!

For the first time, we're also happy to present an official video walkthrough for PoptropiCon directly from us, the Poptropica Creators. This video contains spoilers, so only watch it if you're stuck or if you don't mind having some things revealed to you!

PoptropiCon isn't the only thing happening on Poptropica today. We've also made new updates to the Poptropica Land project. Your lands will now be populated with randomly generated creatures -- and some of them might not be too happy to see you!

Finally, for non-Members, Mission Atlantis: Out of the Blue is now available for all to play, only on Poptropica!

This fall, you can look forward to a new way to play Poptropica, when Poptropica: Forgotten Islands comes to Nintendo 3DS!

The 3DS version of Forgotten Islands includes all of the content from the iOS game, including seasonal costume packs, and is presented in stereoscopic 3D! You've never seen Poptropica like this before.

Poptropica: Forgotten Islands will be released for Nintendo 3DS on October 14.

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, we're honored to be publishing a few guest posts at the official Roald Dahl website. We'll be taking you behind-the-scenes of the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Island on Poptropica to show how we turned the classic book into an all-new interactive experience.

There's even more that we didn't have room for on the Roald Dahl site, so we're pleased to show you even more production artwork from the making of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory on Poptropica. Enjoy!

Character Sketches

We made several freehand sketches for each character before rendering any of them in Flash. This allows us to more quickly look at several ideas for each character.

You can see how each version of a character shares the same basic characteristics, but small differences can make them look dramatically different.

Inventing Room

The Inventing Room, where Violet Beauregarde chews the gumball that will turn her into a giant blueberry, didn't undergo too many changes from concept to execution. Here you see the designer's initial concept:

And here is the final version. You'll see that the basic layout and gameplay remained the same, while details such as the doors, signage, and coloring were all adjusted as production went on.

Chocolate Room
The Chocolate Room, where Augustus Gloop gets sucked into a pipe, is a famous scene in the book, and a difficult one to recreate in a game. We needed to balance the gameplay needs (a puzzle involving pipes and valves) with the artistic needs (the Chocolate Room is described as a lush, outdoorsy scene with rivers and valleys). That's a lot to pack into one scene!

First, the designer did a whitebox, which is just a scene in outline. This allows us to efficiently tweak the layout before putting in all of the visual details.

Once that was settled, we could add the flair.

TV Room

Another famous scene, the TV Room is much different than the rest of the factory because it's pure white instead of multi-colored. That made the design task easier in some ways, and more challenging in others. You can see the difference a few details make between the initial concept:

And the final version:

Tenements

The neighborhood where Charlie lives was an important scene to get right. Charlie's drab, ramshackle home needed to be a big contrast from the wonders of the Chocolate Factory that he would visit later. Unlike the strong, smooth shapes of the factory, Charlie's house is saggy and barely holding together. The tall buildings in the background provide another contrast -- they're not too fancy either, but in much better shape than Charlie's house, and physically separated from it by the fence.

But the lights are on in Charlie's home, which lets you know there's still a loving family inside.

Main Street

Last but not least, our Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Main Street is where the chocolate factory itself was located. This was important, and so it was one of the very first things we designed for this Island.

Can you spot the differences between the first version and the final version?

We hope you've enjoyed this look behind the scenes at our Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Island. It's free to play on Poptropica.

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

We had a lot of fun last week participating in the Ice Bucket Challenge, and now we're challenging YOU!

Log in to Poptropica and you'll automatically be awarded the new Ice Bucket Challenge card. Use it to upend a bucket of freezing cold ice water on your Poptropican. You can also click through to the ALS Association's website to find out more about how you can help find a cure for ALS.

Well, how about it? Are you up for the challenge? Visit Poptropica to take the plunge!

Monday, August 25, 2014

There isn't long to wait until our newest episodic adventure kicks off. Early Access to PoptropiCon: Line Forms Here will be available to Poptropica Members this Thursday!

We're excited about this one. Costumizing has always been one of the most popular things to do in Poptropica, and now it's a crucial part of an Island quest. Not only that, but PoptropiCon will have the most costumization options of any Poptropica Island ever!

We'll announce it right here the moment PoptropiCon: Line Forms Here becomes available!

Thursday, August 21, 2014

If you've been itching to suit up and partake of PoptropiCon, you won't have much longer to wait. Early Access to PoptropiCon: Line Forms Here will be available to Poptropica Members next Thursday, August 28!

As always, we'll let you know the moment it's available, so keep an eye out right here! And if you're not yet a Member, get Membership today so you be one of the first to play PoptropiCon: Line Forms Here.

Look at him. All that frigid water and chunks of ice cascading over every inch of the bunny suit, and he's still got a smile on his face. It's because he knows it's for a good cause.

We've had a lot of fun joining in the Ice Bucket Challenge this week, but we can't forget that the fun and games are in service of a serious cause: raising awareness and donations to fight ALS. The Poptropica Creators have made a donation to the ALS Association to help find a cure for this dangerous disease. We hope you and your family will consider donating as well -- and keep the Ice Bucket Challenge going!

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

There's no faking the razor-sharp chill of icy water dumped straight over your head. Where will the madness end?

The Ice Bucket Challenge is dedicated to spreading awareness and raising money to fight ALS. To find out more about the Ice Bucket Challenge, and what you can do to help, visit the ALS Association website!

From two adventurous boys to one angry god of thunder, the Ice Bucket Challenge continues to spread across Poptropica. We're not done. Who will be next?

The Ice Bucket Challenge is dedicated to spreading awareness and raising money to fight ALS. To find out more about the Ice Bucket Challenge, and what you can do to help, visit the ALS Association website!

Monday, August 18, 2014

The Ice Bucket Challenge is sweeping the nation. Even the stars of the Poptropica comic strip, Oliver and Jorge, have gotten into the act. Will they keep the challenge going across Poptropica?

The Ice Bucket Challenge is dedicated to spreading awareness and raising money to fight ALS. To find out more about the Ice Bucket Challenge, and what you can do to help, visit the ALS Association website!